Hello All!
We hope that this blog finds you abundantly blessed and full of joy for the Christmas season!
Our Thanksgiving was a good one. We spent Thanksgiving day with Eric's mom and our nephews. We had a blast and TONS of food. Then Thursday night we braved a drive to Austin with 2 teenage boys accompanying us. That was fun too. We then spent the weekend with my family in Austin. Finally got to see our nieces and just have good family time. Got to see friends we havent' seen in a while and we got to attend church at Point of Grace. Overall the weekend was amazing!
Work is still going well for me. Really getting the hang of my job and my responsibilities as well as learning some new strengths and weaknesses I have. It's all good though, I am learning and God is blessing. Eric has now started doing some odd jobs that is keeping him busy at least a few days a week. I got a call from someone who used to work with the company I work for and he was told by my boss that my husband was looking for work and now he is doing some good old fashioned manual labor which he loves to do. It could potentially work into something more permanent and full time perhaps. Prayers for that please.
This week we got to attend our first small town Christmas parade and our nephews walked in it for Boy Scouts. It was so neat! It was especially neat to see MERRY CHRISTMAS instead of HAPPY HOLIDAYS. It's a good feeling to live in a town that still values the reason for the season. There were TONS of people lining the streets to see the parade. It was pretty cool.
No animal tragedies to speak of. Shelby ran off again while we were in Austin for Thanksgiving but we didn't rush back and she came home the next morning. Silly dog. OH, I did get attacked by our grey goose (insert vodka remarks here) but we actually have a grey goose that is MEAN! He likes to attack me mainly and this one weekend when our friend Toni came up to visit, he attacked me and got my calf. I had a bruise. Booger!
Our momma cow is not far off from delivering another calf. She is due this month. Can't wait to see that and experience the birth hopefully.
Well, that's about it for now. We are getting ready to celebrate our first Christmas in our new home and we are doing really well. I can say that I am loving our new digs and God just continues to bless us and take care of us. He always provides and we know now that this is where He intended to move us.
Prayers:
1. Eric finds a permanent job
2. Eric's mom finds a permanent job
3. Drama with Eric's step father
4. Boys behavior
5. Us to find friends here
6. Continued financial provision from God
Thank you all for being so important to Eric and I and we are so happy that you are reading this blog and staying connected. Please comment and tell us how YOU are doing. We miss everyone so much and love ya'll dearly.
Merry Christmas and HOOK'EM HORNS!
The Tolletts
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Adjusting to life
Hello again!
Well, we are doing good! Eric has been working really hard on the house to make it a home while I am at work and he is just wonderful! The house looks fantastic!
Since our last blog, we are sorry to say we lost our cat, Tyge. He was 7 years old and still had a lot of life left in him, but unfortunately our dogs wanted to play with him and they played too rough, so we found a nice spot to bury him and he will always remain in our hearts. It took me a few days to get over the anger I felt towards our dogs, but we are back to normal.
Work is good. Busy. Learning alot.
We found a church that we enjoyed the first service, so we want to visit more and see if this is where God is calling us to serve. It is called Lone Star Cowboy Church and it is in Mexia not far from home. The people were so nice and welcoming and we felt instantly at ease OTHER than we were over dressed. It takes place in a barn, on a ranch and it is beautiful! AND, if you go to church on Sunday, you get ropin' lessons for free on Tuesday. That's nice. They are about to break ground on their first building and it will have ropin' arena! Can't wait. :)
We are just really enjoying the time out here and can't wait to meet more new people and make some friends. I am really adjusting well, I think and we honestly feel that this is where God intends us to be for now. We are so at peace out here and the time we get to spend with the boys is cherished. They are growing up so fast and we want to spend as much time with them as we can before they don't want to spend the time with us, which is fast approaching.
Well, guess that's it for now. If we don't update for a while, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
We love you all and miss Austin/Hutto/Pflugerville.
The Tolletts
Well, we are doing good! Eric has been working really hard on the house to make it a home while I am at work and he is just wonderful! The house looks fantastic!
Since our last blog, we are sorry to say we lost our cat, Tyge. He was 7 years old and still had a lot of life left in him, but unfortunately our dogs wanted to play with him and they played too rough, so we found a nice spot to bury him and he will always remain in our hearts. It took me a few days to get over the anger I felt towards our dogs, but we are back to normal.
Work is good. Busy. Learning alot.
We found a church that we enjoyed the first service, so we want to visit more and see if this is where God is calling us to serve. It is called Lone Star Cowboy Church and it is in Mexia not far from home. The people were so nice and welcoming and we felt instantly at ease OTHER than we were over dressed. It takes place in a barn, on a ranch and it is beautiful! AND, if you go to church on Sunday, you get ropin' lessons for free on Tuesday. That's nice. They are about to break ground on their first building and it will have ropin' arena! Can't wait. :)
We are just really enjoying the time out here and can't wait to meet more new people and make some friends. I am really adjusting well, I think and we honestly feel that this is where God intends us to be for now. We are so at peace out here and the time we get to spend with the boys is cherished. They are growing up so fast and we want to spend as much time with them as we can before they don't want to spend the time with us, which is fast approaching.
Well, guess that's it for now. If we don't update for a while, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
We love you all and miss Austin/Hutto/Pflugerville.
The Tolletts
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Country Life - Weeks 2 and 3
Howdy!
Well, here we are again. We have completed weeks 2 and 3 of our new life and all is good.
The house is slowly but surely coming together (Eric is working super hard on it) and I have completed my first week of my new job. It is challenging and I am loving it. It is everything I wanted to do in my life as a career. I do miss my ABC family though. Gotta give a shout out to Tina, Conni, Michelle, Gracie and Alice, not to mention Scott, Stucky, Randy, Terry and all the guys! Miss ya'll tons. My bosses are great, the view from my office is a bunch of RV trailers and then fields of nothing. It's quiet to say the least. :) I am loving it though.
Eric is working really hard on getting boxes unloaded and the house in tip top shape. I love him so much and he is such a wonderful husband. He has really made this transition very easy for me. I miss my family and we DEFINITELY miss our church family at POG.
Speaking of church, we are checking out a church tomorrow in Groesbeck and we will report back on that. Prayers needed for open hearts and minds as we start "church hopping" and that we don't limit God's plan for us by having any expectations.
The boys are doing fine, they have their moments. They just finished football a couple of days ago and got beat pretty bad for their last game and they were bummed, but we know they played their hearts out.
No dogs ran away but we have somewhat adopted a very LARGE white dog that has made our porch a bed during some of the cold nights here. We lovingly refer to him as Goliath. Can't afford to keep him, but he is such a sweet dog and our dogs have taken upon themselves to make sure he KNOWS that this is THEIR house and THEIR people. They played with him only after attacking him and making sure their stakes are claimed.
We have had our first couple of hard freezes and we are loving the weather here. Can't wait for winter. We are seriously hoping we can invest in a Ben Franklin Pot Belly Stove to keep us warm so we can save a little in electricity. So, if you know of any place to get one fairly inexpensively, please let us know. Thanks!
The people here are so nice. It is just amazing to see the difference in small towns compared to big cities. I have also realized how quickly I have acclimated to the small town life and it's go with the flow, nonchalant ways. We went to Waco last weekend to try and find an HEB Plus and low and behold they opened a brand new one there. We were excited to go and feel "at home" a little and I have NEVER been so anxiety driven by the amount of people and confusion than I did there. The traffic was AWFUL and we were ready to get back to our small town. Eric and one of our good friends said that I have apparently picked up the accent here and quicker than I anticipated. I really hoped I never would, but...oh well. Now, I guess the transformation is almost complete. Eric says all I need now is boots and a belt that has my name on the back. Sorry babe, not sure that will EVER happen. Boots, for sure yes, belt...mmm...thinking not. I am not a cowgirl.
Well, that is it for now. We are so blessed by the amount of support we have had from our family back in Austin/Hutto/Pflugerville and God has really shown that this is truly HIS plan for our lives at this stage of the game. We ask again for prayers to find a church and not limit God's plan for us, prayers for a job for Eric soon and for Eric's mom Jeanne to find a job soon. Please also pray for the boys and their attitudes and Jeanne's ability to rear them and raise them with the word of God as her belt of truth. We also ask for prayers for Dave and his acceptance of the changes that have occurred and that his heart softens.
Well, until next time. Love to you all!
Eric and Stephanie
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Country Life - Week 1
Hello everyone!
It's us...the Tolletts coming to you from Mexia/Groesbeck Texas!
First off, you will have to excuse the title of our blog page, it should have to just read The Country Life and THIS particular blog would be week 1. So, now, this will forever be week 1. We are new at this and if ANYONE knows how to change that, suggestions are welcome!
Now, onto the REAL business. Our new life!
Week one proved to be a good week...challenging, but good. We are settling in well. We are slowly but surely making our house a home. Putting our personal touches on the house and giving it life. We definitely have found a diamond in the rough and she is gorgeous.
Our kitchen was the room completed first...imagine that. There is SO much room and we thought we will NOT fill these cabinets yet, but we were wrong. SO wrong. We still have 1 cabinet with Eric's mom's things in it, but still. We are still scratching our heads trying to figure out how we fit all the SAME STUFF in the other much smaller kitchen in Hutto.
I (Stephanie) LOVE LOVE LOVE the laundry room. It is SO big and roomy and I am enjoying the space.
We have put curtains up and some pictures and things are coming together nicely.
I was a little apprehensive on moving at the beginning, as most of you know, and God has really shown Himself in a big way that this was HIS plan and not OURS. Eric and I realize how well we work together when we are behind 4 walls and with each other ALL THE TIME. It has been a nice "vacation" I guess. :)
The boys are a challenge to say the least. They are really pushing some boundaries since we have arrived and being so close to them has been great. Honestly, we haven't seen them as much as you would think. They stay so busy with extra curricular activities and school that they barely have time to breathe. As is life of teenagers.
The first weekend away turned out to be a tough one. We left our furrkids with Eric's mom and the boys and left with the intention to give the boys the benefit to earn some money as long as our furrkids were taken care of and....well...one got lost. Shelby, our youngest, decided to take a trip in the woods for 2 days. We had to leave Austin MUCH sooner than anticipated and miss the majority of the weekend we had planned. We rushed home, searched, found nothing...day 2, woke up early to a pretty bad storm that came through and we thought that would surely bring her home. It didn't. We then hiked for 2 hours looking for our precious little pain in the butt...and nothing. Later that evening Eric saw her about 5 feet from him and called to her and she darted. Obviously scared. We put out food in the hopes she would return, it did give us comfort to know she was close by. Woke up 4:50AM or so and Eric checked on the food and it was gone. He went outside to call for her and here she came, running towards him and smiling...yes she smiles. Now, one big happy family again.
As of about 20 mins ago, I am now employed by Henderson RV Sales in Mexia and apparently got rave reviews from past employers (THANK YOU, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). So, I start my new job on Monday and I am excited and scared all at the same time. We do ask that you keep Eric in your prayers to find work soon. Preferably with benefits since my new job doesn't offer them.
We also ask for prayers for Eric's mom who has come down with some kind of illness. Please pray for quick recovery.
Please also pray that we find a church home and that we don't limit God's plan for us by having "an idea of what WE want". We want to be where He wants us to serve. Pray for open hearts and minds for us as we "church hop".
For now, that's it from Mexia! We love you all.
God bless America and Hook'em Horns!
The Tolletts
It's us...the Tolletts coming to you from Mexia/Groesbeck Texas!
First off, you will have to excuse the title of our blog page, it should have to just read The Country Life and THIS particular blog would be week 1. So, now, this will forever be week 1. We are new at this and if ANYONE knows how to change that, suggestions are welcome!
Now, onto the REAL business. Our new life!
Week one proved to be a good week...challenging, but good. We are settling in well. We are slowly but surely making our house a home. Putting our personal touches on the house and giving it life. We definitely have found a diamond in the rough and she is gorgeous.
Our kitchen was the room completed first...imagine that. There is SO much room and we thought we will NOT fill these cabinets yet, but we were wrong. SO wrong. We still have 1 cabinet with Eric's mom's things in it, but still. We are still scratching our heads trying to figure out how we fit all the SAME STUFF in the other much smaller kitchen in Hutto.
I (Stephanie) LOVE LOVE LOVE the laundry room. It is SO big and roomy and I am enjoying the space.
We have put curtains up and some pictures and things are coming together nicely.
I was a little apprehensive on moving at the beginning, as most of you know, and God has really shown Himself in a big way that this was HIS plan and not OURS. Eric and I realize how well we work together when we are behind 4 walls and with each other ALL THE TIME. It has been a nice "vacation" I guess. :)
The boys are a challenge to say the least. They are really pushing some boundaries since we have arrived and being so close to them has been great. Honestly, we haven't seen them as much as you would think. They stay so busy with extra curricular activities and school that they barely have time to breathe. As is life of teenagers.
The first weekend away turned out to be a tough one. We left our furrkids with Eric's mom and the boys and left with the intention to give the boys the benefit to earn some money as long as our furrkids were taken care of and....well...one got lost. Shelby, our youngest, decided to take a trip in the woods for 2 days. We had to leave Austin MUCH sooner than anticipated and miss the majority of the weekend we had planned. We rushed home, searched, found nothing...day 2, woke up early to a pretty bad storm that came through and we thought that would surely bring her home. It didn't. We then hiked for 2 hours looking for our precious little pain in the butt...and nothing. Later that evening Eric saw her about 5 feet from him and called to her and she darted. Obviously scared. We put out food in the hopes she would return, it did give us comfort to know she was close by. Woke up 4:50AM or so and Eric checked on the food and it was gone. He went outside to call for her and here she came, running towards him and smiling...yes she smiles. Now, one big happy family again.
As of about 20 mins ago, I am now employed by Henderson RV Sales in Mexia and apparently got rave reviews from past employers (THANK YOU, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). So, I start my new job on Monday and I am excited and scared all at the same time. We do ask that you keep Eric in your prayers to find work soon. Preferably with benefits since my new job doesn't offer them.
We also ask for prayers for Eric's mom who has come down with some kind of illness. Please pray for quick recovery.
Please also pray that we find a church home and that we don't limit God's plan for us by having "an idea of what WE want". We want to be where He wants us to serve. Pray for open hearts and minds for us as we "church hop".
For now, that's it from Mexia! We love you all.
God bless America and Hook'em Horns!
The Tolletts
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